Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Stuff Shawn Did in the Last Year and a Half - Part I: The Neighborhood, the Apartment

Perched on the line between pleasantly bohemian and disgustingly trendy, is my (soon to be my former) neighborhood-Uptown Minneapolis.

Having lived in different areas around South/Southwest Minneapolis, I keep coming back to Uptown as my favorite twin cities locale though many Minnesota urbanites consider it passé. Well I say pooh on such sophisticated anti-snobs! And fie their quaint little, more reasonably priced; Seward, Dinkytown, Northeast, and various St. Paul nooks!

10 different apartments (save one house) in the last 11 years; this time I had determined that I should stay for a total of two whole years. I didn’t make it, but only for a total of one year and three months, a typical breadth of residence. Old habits die hard.

My final place in this town was also to be my favorite.

Saturday a young lady, along with her mother, was the first to look at the place as a potential renter; she got all starry-eyed, and my heart did break. I started selling the place as if I were some rental agent: pointing out the view of downtown, the built in dressers and bookcases, the ample shelves in the kitchen, the free cable and cheap internet. I’m sure she rented it right away and I won’t even get a commission.

Stay tuned for Stuff Shawn Did in the Past Year and a Half - Part II: The year of Akai and J Grim.